What Is an ALTA Survey? A 2026 Guide

This guide explains what an ALTA survey is, what's included, what changed in the 2026 standards, and where its limits are, especially underground.

What is an ALTA survey?

An ALTA survey is a land title survey prepared to a national set of standards, formally called the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys. The standards are set jointly by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), so the full name is an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey.

Ordinary boundary surveys follow state rules that vary from place to place. An ALTA survey follows one national standard, so a lender in New York and a title insurer in Texas know exactly what they're getting for a property in Arizona. It's prepared and signed by a licensed land surveyor and certified to the parties named on it, typically the buyer, the lender, and the title company.

Who needs an ALTA survey, and why?

ALTA surveys are standard on commercial real estate transactions, and especially common when a lender is involved. The usual parties are:

• Lenders, who want to know the collateral matches what's being financed
• Title insurers, who rely on the survey to decide what they'll insure and what they'll exclude
• Buyers and developers, who need to know about easements, encroachments, access, and zoning constraints before they commit
• Design teams, who often use the ALTA survey as an early base map for site planning

The core value is that the survey ties the physical site to the legal record. It shows what the title documents say about the property next to what's actually on the ground, so conflicts surface before closing instead of after.

What does every ALTA survey include?

Every ALTA survey has to meet the minimum standard, whatever optional items the client adds. That baseline covers:

• Boundaries, with corner monuments located or set, and the legal description of the property
• Easements and rights of way shown in the title commitment, with a statement on whether each one affects the property
• Improvements such as buildings, structures, and paved areas
• Access to public roads, and evidence of use by others
• Possession and occupation, such as fences and walls along the perimeter, and any encroachments across boundary lines
• Observed utilities, meaning evidence the surveyor can see, like poles, manholes, valve covers, and utility markings
• Water features that form or cross a boundary, with the date they were measured

The surveyor works from the title commitment and recorded documents. The 2026 standards also make the surveyor responsible for researching certain non-public records, such as railroad or highway plans.

Table A: the optional items

Table A is a menu of extra items the client can add to the survey. The client and surveyor agree on which items apply, and the selected items are listed on the face of the survey. The 2026 Table A has 21 items. The ones teams ask about most are:

• Items 1–4: monuments, address, flood zone classification, and land area
• Item 5: vertical relief, or topography, with its source and datum
• Item 6: zoning classification and setbacks, shown only if the client provides a zoning report or letter
• Item 7: building dimensions, square footage, and height
• Item 8: substantial features observed in the field, such as parking lots, signs, and pools
• Item 9: parking spaces and striping
• Item 11: evidence of underground utilities, covered in detail below
• Item 13: names of adjoining owners from current tax records
• Items 16 and 17: recent earthwork and construction, and proposed changes to street right of way lines
• Item 18: plottable offsite (appurtenant) easements
• Item 20 (new in 2026): a table summarizing potential encroachments
• Item 21: any additional items the client negotiates

Each item adds fieldwork, research, or both, so the Table A selections are one of the biggest drivers of the survey's cost and schedule.

What changed in the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards?

The 2026 standards took effect on February 23, 2026, and supersede the 2021 version, according to NSPS. The changes that matter most in practice:

• New Table A Item 20: when selected, the surveyor summarizes potential encroachments in a table on the survey. That covers encroachments over boundary lines, into easements and rights of way, and into setbacks.
• Private utility locates (Item 11(b)): the client can now coordinate private utility locate requests directly.
• Utility features near the boundary: surveyors must show observed utility features on or within five feet of the property, as McGuireWoods summarizes.
• Imagery (Item 15): aerial or satellite imagery can be used for some features only if the surveyor discusses it with the client and agrees in writing.
• Easement statements: the survey must say whether each easement is shown, can't be located, is a blanket easement, is illegible, or doesn't affect the property.
• Negotiated items: any modified or negotiated Table A item must be explained on the survey.

For surveys ordered before the effective date and finished after it, parties can ask for the 2026 references, though the surveyor may charge for it.

ALTA surveys and underground utilities (Item 11)

Table A Item 11 asks the surveyor to show evidence of underground utilities existing on or serving the property. Under the 2026 standards, that evidence comes from two sources:

• 11(a): plans and reports provided by the client, with the sources referenced on the survey
• 11(b): markings from a private utility locate request coordinated for the survey

The standard also requires a note on the survey that the exact locations of underground utilities can't be reliably shown without excavation. Any limits of the locate request have to be disclosed.

That note matters. The survey tells you which utilities are likely there and roughly where. It doesn't assign ASCE 38-22 quality levels, and it isn't a substitute for designating lines with geophysical tools or exposing them with test holes. For a purchase, that's often enough. For design, it's a starting point. If the site will be redeveloped, plan for a utility survey to take the information from "evidence" to something you can design against.

Two practical consequences follow. First, Item 11(a) is only as good as the plans the client hands over, so incomplete records mean an incomplete picture. Second, private locates under 11(b) add field time and cost, so it's worth knowing early how congested the site is likely to be.

ALTA survey vs. boundary survey vs. utility survey

These are three different tools:

• A boundary survey establishes property lines under state standards. It's often enough for residential sales or simple lot work.
• An ALTA survey combines a boundary survey with title review and the national ALTA/NSPS requirements, plus any Table A items. It's built for commercial transactions, lenders, and title insurance.
• A utility survey maps buried and overhead utilities for design, with each segment rated by how reliable it is. It's built for engineers who need to design around what's underground.

On a redevelopment project, you'll often need all three at different stages.

How long does an ALTA survey take, and what drives cost?

Timelines and prices vary widely, so ask surveyors to quote against your specific Table A list. The main drivers are:

• Size and complexity of the site, including the number of parcels and buildings
• Table A selections, especially topography (Item 5), building measurements (Item 7), and utilities (Item 11)
• Records: how complete the title commitment and recorded documents are, and how quickly utility plans can be obtained
• Site access, weather, and whether private utility locates are required

Ordering early, and having records ready, is the most reliable way to keep the survey off the critical path to closing.

Where CivilGrid fits

CivilGrid doesn't prepare ALTA surveys, and it doesn't replace the surveyor, the title commitment, or the surveyor's own records research. What it can do is make the records research side of an ALTA survey, and the work that comes after it, faster and better documented.

• Utility plans for Item 11(a). CivilGrid sources utility maps and as-builts directly from the utilities, municipalities, and agencies that own them. Each record comes with chain of custody documentation and a log of every agency contacted. That gives the client a clear set of plans to provide to the surveyor, with sources the surveyor can reference.
• An early read on utility congestion. A QL-D base map shows where utilities are dense before you decide how much private locating to order under Item 11(b).
• Land and site context. Parcel ownership, land rights, and zoning data in one map help a team spot questions early. This doesn't replace the zoning report Item 6 requires.
• A head start on design. CAD- and GIS-ready exports (DWG, DGN, SHP, KMZ) let the design team lay the ALTA survey and the utility records on one base map, then target field verification where it matters.

ALTA survey FAQ

What does ALTA stand for?

ALTA stands for the American Land Title Association, the title insurance industry's trade group. The standards are set jointly with the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), which is why the survey's formal name is an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey.

Who pays for an ALTA survey?

The buyer or borrower often orders and pays for it, though the purchase agreement can assign the cost differently. The lender and title company typically specify the Table A items they need.

Does an ALTA survey show underground utilities?

An ALTA survey shows evidence of underground utilities if Table A Item 11 is selected, based on plans the client provides and any private locate markings. It must also state that exact locations can't be reliably shown without excavation. For design, a utility survey is the next step.

Is an ALTA survey the same as a boundary survey?

No. An ALTA survey includes a boundary survey, but it also follows the national ALTA/NSPS standards, reviews the title commitment, and adds any Table A items the client selects.

Get your site records in order

Ordering an ALTA survey for a site you plan to build on? See how CivilGrid works, or read What Is a Utility Survey? and our preconstruction glossary to understand how they fit into the preconstruction plan.

The short version

• An ALTA survey is a land title survey prepared to national standards set by ALTA and NSPS, mainly for buyers, lenders, and title insurers.
• The 2026 standards took effect February 23, 2026, adding a new encroachment table (Table A Item 20) and updating how utilities and imagery are handled.
• Table A Item 11 shows evidence of underground utilities, not their exact locations, so design teams usually need more utility work after the ALTA survey.